Mount Dana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Dana |
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Mount Dana as seen from the west. The hike to the top goes up this face.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,061 ft (3,981 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 2,417 ft (737 m) |
| Parent peak | Mount Lyell |
| Listing | California highest major peaks 18th |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mono / Tuolumne counties, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Dana |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Cretaceous |
| Mountain type | Metamorphic rock |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | June 28, 1863 by Whitney, Brewer, and Hoffmann |
| Easiest route | Hike, class 1 |
Mount Dana is a tall mountain in California, U.S.. Its top marks the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park. It also forms the western edge of the Ansel Adams Wilderness.
Standing at 13,061 feet (3,981 m) high, it is the second highest mountain in Yosemite. Only Mount Lyell is taller. Mount Dana is also the highest peak in Yosemite that you can reach by a simple hike. The mountain is named after James Dwight Dana. He was a professor of geology at Yale.
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About Mount Dana's Geology
Mount Dana is made of very old rock. This rock is mostly reddish metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rock forms when other rocks change due to heat and pressure. This rock came from surfacing magma during the Mesozoic Era (the time of dinosaurs).
Nature Around Mount Dana
Mount Dana has a small glacier on its northern side. This is called the Dana Glacier. At the bottom of the mountain are the Dana Meadows. From the top of Mount Dana, you can see many lakes in Dana Meadows. You can also see Mono Lake, Tioga Peak, and many other mountains.
Plants and Animals
After you climb above the tree line, there are not many plants. You might see lichen and a few high alpine flowers. One such flower is the Sky Pilot (Polemonium eximium).
Animals are mostly small creatures. You might spot spiders and insects like black or brown grasshoppers. The only mammals you are likely to see are marmots and American Pikas. Pikas are small animals related to rabbits.
Hiking to the Summit
You can hike to the top of Mount Dana from the Tioga Pass Road. There are many easy paths along the western or southern slopes. These paths climb about 3,108 feet (947 m) over 2.9 miles (4.7 km). The trail is not always kept up.
There is a clear path that goes just above the tree line. After you reach a ridge, you will find smaller paths and rock piles called ducks. These help guide you. The main path follows the eastern ridge. Some parts of the hike can be a bit tricky.
As you get closer to the top, the path turns into loose rocks called scree. At the very top, there is a small stone shelter. You might also find a register to sign. There can be a lot of snow on the mountain slopes even in late summer. A round trip hike can take from 3 to 12 hours. This depends on how used you are to the high elevation.
Safety Tips for Hikers
Thunderstorms can start very suddenly on Mount Dana. This can make the rocks slippery and hiking dangerous. This can happen any time of year.
Even experienced hikers can feel sick from the high elevation. This is called altitude sickness. It is important to be prepared for this.
See also
In Spanish: Monte Dana para niños
